[size=24:66841b2631]2-Season Diplomacy to be used for DC175
(a version of 2-Season Diplomacy Dipwiki edited and expanded for clarity).[/size:66841b2631]

[size=18:66841b2631]Introduction[/size:66841b2631]

2-Season Diplomacy is a style of Email Diplomacy where the game is played using a 2 season – Spring and Fall - game year (standard game) and is often played to a fixed-duration turn cycle, with the deadlines set for the same time, sometimes on the same day of successive weeks.

The Rules of Diplomacy were written with a view to face-to-face play and, as such, contained, and continue to contain as of 2008, specific rules prohibiting diplomatic discussion between the resolution of normal moves and ordering retreats, and between the resolution of normal moves or retreats and adjustments. Email Diplomacy and, to a lesser extent, Postal Mail Diplomacy, can allows these prohibitions to be compromised by enabling rapid correspondence between players, beyond GM control, at a point where no such discussion is allowed by the rules.

2-Season Diplomacy attempts to stay closer to the intent of the rules by incorporates the retreat and/or adjustment phases within the preceding Spring and Fall movement turns. Players are expected to submit, for the:

• Spring turn, any move, hold, support and convoy orders, PLUS any retreats that the player feels might need to be ordered.

• Fall turn, any move, hold, support and convoy orders, PLUS any retreats that the player feels might need to be ordered, PLUS any adjustments (builds or removals) that the player feels might need to be ordered.

2-Season Diplomacy reduces the number of deadlines per game year (and the opportunity for NMRs), and the commensurate administration time associated with individual deadlines. However, it requires additional methods for writing retreat and adjustment orders.

[size=18:66841b2631]Method[/size:66841b2631]

There are several methods of writing orders when using 2-Season Diplomacy. DC175 will use the Preference List Order Method which recognizes that player’s may have, or may be able to develop, an ability to look ahead to possible permutations of units following a set of moves and that a preference lists of possible destinations for retreats, possible locations for builds and possible candidate units for disbandment can give control over a player’s retreat and adjustment orders.

It is important to note that diplomatic discussion regarding possible dislodgements, builds and disbandments with other players may be desirable. Such discussion, however, would need to take place prior to the submitting of the requisite Spring or Fall orders.

During order adjudication, the GM first adjudicates the move, hold, support and convoys orders, then any retreat orders, disbanding units without valid retreats, then (if a Fall turn) any adjustments and publishes all the season’s results at the same time. Should any retreat or adjustment orders not be given when required then: unordered retreats are disbanded; unordered builds are waived; and unordered removals are processed as per the Civil Disorder rules. It may be advisable for a player to submit: a retreat order for each of their units that may be dislodged; a build order for each home supply center; and, a disbandment orders for the maximum number of disbandments that they expect.

When adjudicating preferred list retreat orders, the GM will evaluate the retreat orders for each dislodged unit, and if:

1. no retreat order has been submitted for that unit, it will be disbanded.

2. the unit is ordered to retreat OTB (off the board) it will be disbanded.

3. a unit’s most preferred retreat is blocked for retreat purposes (because that province is occupied; is the province from which the attacker came; or is a province that was left vacant by a standoff during the same turn) then the next preferred unblocked province will be used, repeating the process down the preference list, as necessary.

4. the first unblocked retreat of a unit is ambiguously ordered (e.g. ‘Nor’ when either ‘North Sea’ or ‘Norway’ could by retreated to by a fleet, even if one or more of the ambiguous retreat locations is blocked) then that will considered be a misorder and the unit will be disbanded.

5. two or more units’ retreat to the same unblocked province after all their preceding retreats listed are discounted as blocked then those units are disbanded.

6. none of a unit’s ordered retreats are unblocked (even if there is a vacant unblocked province to which the unit which could have otherwise have retreated) the unit is disbanded.

7. the unit has not so far been destroyed and a valid retreat location has been ordered then the unit is retreated to that province.

When adjudicating preferred list build orders, the GM will evaluate the build orders (in the order given) for each player who has possible builds this turn, and if:

1. no build order has been submitted then any build will be waived that turn.

2. a ‘no builds’ order has been submitted then any builds will be waived that turn.

3. a unit’s most preferred build location is now occupied then the next preferred build order will be used, repeating the process down the list, as necessary.

4. any of a unit’s preferred build locations are ambiguously ordered or misordered then that build order is ignored.

5. not enough valid build orders have been specified then any excess builds will be waived that turn.

6. there remain valid build locations ordered and the builds are available then those available builds will be made.

When adjudicating preferred list disbandment orders, the GM will evaluate the disbandment orders (in the order given) for each player who has required disbandments this turn, and if:

1. no valid disbandment order has been submitted then any required disbandments will be decided as per the usual Civil Disorder rules.

2. not enough disbandment orders have been specified then any excess disbandments will be decided as per the usual Civil Disorder rules.

3. any of a unit’s preferred units for disbandment are ambiguously ordered or misordered then that preferred disbandment is ignored and any excess disbandments that result will be decided as per the usual Civil Disorder rules.

4. there remain valid disbandment orders and required disbandments then those disbandments will be made as ordered.

[size=18:66841b2631]NMRs[/size:66841b2631]

An NMR is applied to a player if no move, hold, support, convoy or retreat orders are submitted for a given Spring turn. An NMR is applied to a player if no move, hold, support, convoy, retreat, build or disbandment orders are submitted for a given Fall turn.

[size=18:66841b2631]Format[/size:66841b2631]

Retreats

After all the move, hold, support and convoy orders have been listed; list the orders for any or all potential retreats using the format:

R A/F pppO-pppR

Where:

R = Retreat;
A/F = A(rmy) or F(leet) – optional;
pppO = the province from which the unit has been dislodged;
pppR = one or more alternative retreat locations listed in descending order of preference, each separated by commas (and separated from pppO by a hyphen), or OTB.

Builds

After retreat orders have been listed, list the orders for potential builds on separate lines (in descending order of preference) in the format:

B A/F ppp

Where:

B = Build;
A/F = A(rmy) or F(leet) – only mandatory for coastal provinces;
ppp = the province in which the unit is to be built (including the coast if necessary to avoid ambiguity).

Disbandments

After build orders have been listed, list the orders for potential disbandments on separate lines (in descending order of preference) in the format:

D A/F ppp

Where:

D = Disband;
A/F = A(rmy) or F(leet) – optional;
ppp = the province in which the unit to be disbanded is located (specifying the coast is optional).

[size=18:66841b2631]Examples[/size:66841b2631]

Retreats

1. Italy is expecting to be dislodged from Ven by Austrian moves‘ A Tri-Ven, Russian A Tyl S A Tri-Ven’. Italy submits a retreat order ‘R A Ven-Pie, Tus, Rom’ and if dislodged A Ven will retreat to the first space on the list that is unblocked for retreat purposes.

2. Both German A Ruh and French A Bur have the option of retreating to either Mun or Bel if dislodged. If Germany orders ‘R A Ruh-Bel, Mun’ and France orders ‘R A Bur-Bel, Mun’ and Bel is an unblocked location for retreat then they both attempt to retreat there and are both destroyed. If Bel was unblocked for retreat then both would retreat to the next on the list and again be destroyed. However, if Germany orders ‘R A Ruh-Bel, Mun’ and France orders ‘R A Bur-Mun, Bel’ then if both spaces are unblocked retreat locations then the units will retreat as per their first choice and not be destroyed. However, if either, or both, Bel or Mun are blocked for retreat then the dislodged units would again clash and both be destroyed.

Builds

3. Austria is expecting two builds and provides a build preference list ‘B A Vie, B F Tri’. If Austria did get at least one build and Vie was unoccupied then they would build A Vie. If for some reason Ven was occupied then they would build F Tri instead, if Tri was unoccupied. If Austria indeed gained two builds and both centers were unoccupied then A Vie and F Tri would both be built. If Vie was occupied, but Tri unoccupied then only F Tri would be built and the second build waived, conversely, if Tri was occupied, but Ven unoccupied then only A Vie would be built. If both centers were occupied then both builds would be waived, even if Bud was available for a build. If Austria had gained three builds then the third would have automatically have been waived as only two preferences were given in the list.

4. France is doing well against both England and Italy. On balance France decides that England is the best target. France expects 3 builds so orders ‘B F Bre, B F Mar, B A Par’. If only one build is made then this will be in Bre to be more easily directed against England, if two builds then the next build will be in Mar against Italy, and if a third then in Par.

Disbandments

5. France is now not doing so well against England and France. On balance France decides that England is the most skilled player and has closer units so when it comes to ordering retreats he decides that F Tys is more expendable than F Eng. France doesn’t feel able to spare any of his armies facing Germany so orders ‘D F Tys, D F Eng, D A Pic, D A Bur’. Any unit will disband only if required even if a disband order is submitted.